Over the years, either voluntarily or by pressure from environmentalists, Apple has paved the way toward eliminating hazardous materials like lead, mercury, and arsenic in the production of their products. Getting the ball rolling several years was no easy task as Apple was pressured mercilessly by Greenpeace to “clean up their act”. Now in 2014, Apple is the leader in safer production practices and renewable energy. Now Apple is adding two more chemicals to its list of banned toxins, benzene and n-hexane.

On the down side, the chemicals can still be used early in the production for the cleaning and polishing of things like electronic components and touch screens. However, Apple will require testing of those production environments to ensure the levels are lower than they are now. Apple’s VP of Environmental Initiatives, Lisa Jackson, told the Associated Press;

“This is doing everything we can think of to do to crack down on chemical exposures and to be responsive to concerns. We think it’s really important that we show some leadership and really look toward the future by trying to use greener chemistries.”

N-hexane gained some attention a few years ago when a factory worker died from exposure to the dangerous chemical. The company illegally used n-hexane instead of alcohol to clean screens. Apple was called to task as some the factory’s screens were manufactured for use in Apple products.